New Delhi, Aug 20 (KNS) The Congress party on Thursday paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 82nd birth anniversary, with senior leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir asserting that his vision of a technologically advanced and inclusive India continues to shape the party's roadmap for the future.
Addressing party workers at a commemorative event here, AICC General Secretary and Tamil Nadu/Puducherry in-charge Mir said Rajiv Gandhi was a leader who looked beyond the politics of the moment and prepared the nation for the challenges of the coming decades.
"At a time when technology was viewed with uncertainty, he saw in it the power to democratise opportunity. He understood that the future would belong to nations that invested in knowledge, innovation and the aspirations of their youth," Mir said.
He said the foundations laid by Rajiv Gandhi in digital connectivity, telecommunications and information technology continue to benefit India even today. However, he added, the late prime minister's vision was never about machines alone but about empowering the ordinary citizen.
Mir said Rajiv Gandhi's commitment to strengthening local self-governance reflected his conviction that real democracy begins in villages and municipalities, while his faith in India's pluralistic character demonstrated that diversity was the strength of the Republic.
Observing the day as Sadbhavana Diwas, Mir reaffirmed the party's commitment to communal harmony, constitutional values and social justice.
He said if Rajiv Gandhi prepared India for the Information Technology revolution, it was now the collective responsibility of the party to prepare the nation for the age of Artificial Intelligence, green technology and knowledge-driven growth.
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Mir said under the leadership of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the guidance of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K.C. Venugopal, the party continues to place before the nation a vision where technology serves humanity, economic growth creates opportunity and development leaves no citizen behind.
He stressed that Congress workers must strengthen grassroots structures, encourage young leadership and empower women while remaining connected to the hopes and concerns of the people.
"The Congress has endured for well over a century because it has always adapted to changing times without compromising its core values. Those values — justice, secularism, equality, democracy and service — remain as relevant today as ever," Mir said.
He said in a world increasingly divided by anger and intolerance, the Congress must continue to offer hope over hatred, dialogue over division and service over power.
Earlier in the day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid floral tributes at Rajiv Gandhi's memorial Veer Bhumi.
"The greatest tribute we can pay to Rajiv Gandhi Ji is not by remembering his achievements alone, but by carrying forward his unfinished mission to build an India that is modern in its outlook, humane in its policies, inclusive in its growth and unwavering in its commitment to the Constitution," Mir added. (KNS)